There’s no party like a Lemon party, as “30 Rock,” riding the wave of publicity surrounding Tina Fey, took in a series-high rating for its third-season premiere.

Drawing a 4.1 rating/10 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, “30 Rock” improved 21% over its premiere last year, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data.

“The Office” (4.7/12) and “Kath and Kim” (2.3/6) grew a respective 12% and 5% week-to-week, while “My Name Is Earl” (2.4/7) matched its lowest original episode rating ever.

“ER” also increased 6% week-to-week to a 3.4/9.

Despite the increases, NBC placed third for the night with a 3.4/9.

Nightly winner CBS, with a 3.9/10 and 14.4 million viewers, had its entire lineup of “Survivor” (4.1/12, 13.3 million), “CSI” (4.7/11, 19.5 million) and “Eleventh Hour” (2.9/8, 11.8 million) hit season lows in adults 18-49. “CSI” matched its lowest original Thursday rating ever, excluding Thanksgiving.

But for those keeping score at home, CBS does capture the first night of November sweeps in total viewers and adults 18-49.

ABC’s “Ugly Betty” (2.5/7) also netted a season low, declining 11%. “Grey’s Anatomy” (5.5/14) crept up a tenth of a percentage point, while “Life on Mars” (2.7/7) moved the needle up 13%. ABC ended the night with a 3.6/10.

Fox tied for fourth with The CW, drawing a 1.6/4, on the back of an original “Kitchen Nightmares” (1.7/4). The CW’s “Smallville” (1.7/5) stayed flat, while “Supernatural” (1.5/4) increased by 15%.

The conclusion of Game 5 of the World Series gave Fox the nightly ratings win on Wednesday, while Sen. Barack Obama’s “American Stories” ad garnered 25.5 million viewers on the three broadcast networks on which it aired.

The game itself drew a 6.2 rating in the adults 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data, with 19.8 million viewers tuning in to see the Phillies finish a rain-delayed game against the Tampa Bay Rays to win the baseball crown.

Despite the nightly domination, this year’s series will end up being the lowest-rated in terms of viewership. The 2008 World Series averaged 13.6 million viewers, 2 million less than the previous low-water mark, which matched the similarly small-market Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.

Fox captured the night with a 5.0 rating. Shares were not available due to time-adjusted fast national data.

Sen. Obama’s political ad, which aired on NBC, Fox and CBS (along with Univision, BET, MSNBC and TVOne), drew a good chunk of the audience, with 25.5 million viewers watching the event on broadcast television.

NBC should order more episodes of Sen. Obama’s political ad, as a 90-minute “Deal or No Deal” (2.2/6) and “Lipstick Jungle” (1.9/5) grew 16% and 12% week-to-week following it.

NBC finished the night in fourth place with a 2.3/6.

ABC took advantage of the lack of competition, as “Pushing Daisies” (2.2/6) improved 16% from last week, hitting a season high. But the half-hour of “Daisies” that competed against the Obama ad placed fourth.

“Private Practice” (2.8/7) and “Dirty Sexy Money” (2.0/5) were in line with their averages. ABC ended the night with a 2.4/6.

CBS’ “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (2.2/6, 7.6 million) was average, while “Criminal Minds” (3.4/8, 13.8 million) and “CSI: NY” (3.4/9, 13.6 million) landed at season lows in adults 18-49. CBS finished second with a 3.0/8 and 11.9 million.

The CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” (2.0/6) saw small declines, even without much competition for its first half-hour, falling 6% to a 3.4/10 in women 18-34, the network’s target demographic.

“ANTM” was preempted in Los Angeles for Clippers basketball coverage, and could see a rise once final numbers are released.

The second week of “Stylista” (0.9/2) experienced a 22% dip in women 18-34 from its premiere last week, drawing a 1.4/4 in the demographic.

The CW finished the night with a 1.5/4.

The annual airing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” helped ABC gain some ground in the Tuesday 8 p.m. slot, while “House” carried Fox to a nightly win.

“Pumpkin” drew a 3.4 rating/9 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data.

The more than 40-year-old animated special improved the time period by 70% compared with last week’s “Dancing With the Stars” recap, which itself helped the slot substantially from the canceled “Opportunity Knocks.”

However, “Pumpkin” declined 11% from its 2007 showing.

Cloris Leachman was shown the exit on “Dancing,” which pulled in a flat 3.8/10, followed by “Eli Stone” with an average 2.0/5.

ABC placed fourth with a 3.1/8.

Even with a repeat “Fringe,” “House” (5.3/14), despite a 5% decline, gave Fox the nightly win with a 3.9/10.

CBS’ “NCIS” (3.4/9, 17.1 million) dipped 6% in its ratings to a season low, while “The Mentalist” (3.8/9, 16.1 million) and “Without a Trace” (2.9/8, 12.1 million) made significant week-to-week gains, both moving up 12%.

CBS took second in adults 18-49 with a 3.4/9, but it won the night in total viewers with 15.1 million.

NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” held to its average with a 3.1/8, while “Law & Order: SVU” (3.4/9) stumbled a tenth of a ratings point from last week. NBC ended the night in third with a 3.2/8.

The CW’s “90210” (1.6/4) returned to originals after three weeks of repeats, hitting only a slight bump and declining 6% from its last new episode on Oct. 7. “Privileged” enjoyed some solid week-to-week gains with “90210’s” return, growing 57%. Last week’s original “Privileged” was low behind a “90210” repeat.

The CW took fifth with a 1.3/3.

A rain-suspended World Series on Fox and repeats for CBS spelled a nice uptick for ABC, with the network capitalizing on a 6% increase in ratings week-to-week to tie as the highest-rated net of the night.

Called after the sixth inning due to rain, Game 5 of the World Series soaked in a 4.0 rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data.

The resumption of the game is tentatively set for Wednesday at 8:37 p.m. EDT, and Major League Baseball is closely monitoring the weather forecast.

Fox and ABC tied for first place with a 3.4 rating/8 share.

ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” (4.2/10) was about even from last week, while “Samantha Who?” (3.0/7) increased 11%. “Stars” overran by two minutes, which could shrink “Samantha’s” increase once final numbers are released.

“Boston Legal” (2.3/6) also was up by 10% from last week.

While CBS ran repeats Monday night, the network did replace “Worst Week” temporarily with “Gary Unmarried” (2.9/7, 8.6 million), which increased 26% in adults 18-49 over its previous season average in its Wednesday slot.

CBS took third with a 3.1/8 and 9.4 million viewers.

NBC’s “Chuck” (2.5/6) and “Heroes” (3.9/9) held even from last week, with “Heroes” tying its lowest rating ever, while “My Own Worst Enemy” (2.3/6) declined 8%. NBC placed fourth with a 2.9/7.

The CW’s “Gossip Girl” (1.5/4) rebounded from last week with a 13% increase in women 18-34, pulling in a 3.4/9 in that demographic. “One Tree Hill” (1.6/4), however, declined 16% in the same demo to a 3.7/9, down from its big showing last week. The CW ended the night in fifth place with a 1.6/4.

Odds and Ends:

“Friday Night Smackdown” continues to set records for MyNetworkTV, as the show drew 3.5 million total viewers on Friday, setting the high watermark in viewers on the network … again.

Check your cancellation bingo cards, as CBS’ “The Ex List” is in show limbo. The freshman romantic comedy is getting swapped out for “NCIS” repeats this Friday. While it’s not officially canceled, the prognosis isn’t good for “Ex.” It is good for me, as I need an “Ex” removal, plus an axe to fall on “Crusoe,” for a diagonal bingo.

Despite being propped up by NFL overrun, Game 4 of the 2008 World Series on Fox continued to show the difficulty of attracting viewers to small-market teams.

Drawing a 5.1 rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays matched Game 4 of the 2006 series between the small-market Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data.

Shares were not available due to time-adjusted data.

Last night’s total of 15.5 million viewers is one of the lowest shows of viewership in the history of the World Series outside of games aired on Saturdays. Compared to last year’s Red Sox-Rockies Game 4, which closed the series with a Boston title win, Sunday’s game declined 26% in viewers and 27% in the 18-49 demo.

The game itself was the fourth-highest rated show of the night, but NFL overrun helped Fox take first place with a 5.2/13.

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” led the night with a 5.7/13, despite tying its season low. On the bright side, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (2.4/7) increased 20% week-to-week. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (3.9/10) and “Brothers & Sisters” (3.5/9) held steady. ABC took second with a 3.9/10.

Without NFL overrun, CBS stayed average with “60 Minutes” (2.2/6, 12.5 million), “The Amazing Race” (2.9/7, 9.7 million), “Cold Case” (2.7/6, 12 million) and “The Unit” (2.5/6, 9.1 million).

CBS ended the night with a 2.6/7 and 10.8 million viewers.

NBC took fourth with the football post-game and “The 40 Year Old Virgin” (1.9/5), taking in a 1.6/4. The CW shuffled along with a 0.3/1 for fifth.

On Friday, NBC’s “Crusoe” washed out 25% of its premiere numbers from the previous week, drawing a 1.2/4 and losing 14% of its lead-in, “Deal or No Deal” (1.4/5). “Life” held even from last week with a 1.5/5, but is prepping for its move to Wednesday starting next week. NBC ended the night in third with a 1.4/4, tying Fox, which drew a 1.4/5.

CBS’ “The Ex List” (1.6/5) also fumbled Friday, declining 20% week-to-week to a series low. On both sides of “List,” “Ghost Whisperer” (2.5/9) and “Numb3rs” (2.2/7) were flat. CBS took first with a 2.1/7 and 8.2 million viewers.

ABC placed second with a 1.7/5, while The CW was fifth with a 0.6/2.

A huge Big Ten matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State’s Nittany Lions (3.2/10) boosted ABC to a win on Saturday, with an 88% week-to-week increase. The network drew a 3.2/10 for the night.

A rain delay pushed back the start of Game 3 of the World Series, where play did not begin until 10 p.m. EST; the contest posted a 2.9/9. Fox placed second with a 2.1/7. CBS followed with a 1.4/4, with NBC in fourth with a 1.3/4.

The challenges of the small-market World Series matchup became apparent last night, as Game 2 between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies hoisted Fox to just a second-place finish for the night in the ratings.

Scoring a 4.0/11 rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, yesterday’s game slid 17% from Game 1 and is one of the lowest-rated Game 2s in Fox history.

In total viewers, Game 2 declined 12% from Wednesday’s kickoff game to 12.8 million viewers.

Fox ended Thursday night in second with a 3.7/10.

CBS won the night with on-par performances versus last week from “CSI” (5.5/12, 19.2 million), “Survivor” (4.4/12, 13.4 million) and “Eleventh Hour” (3.1/8, 12.2 million). The Eye ended Thursday with an average 4.3/11 in the 18-49 demo and 14.9 million viewers.

NBC hit bumpy territory as “My Name Is Earl” nearly matched its lowest showing ever with a 2.5/7, while the rest of the night saw slight declines from last week. “Kath and Kim” (2.2/6, down 12%), “The Office” (4.2/10, down 2%), “SNL Weekend Update Thursday” (4.0/9, down 5%) and “ER” (3.2/8, down 11%) all were off from their season averages.

NBC took fourth place on the night with a 3.2/8.

ABC’s “Ugly Betty” (2.8/8) enjoyed a bump, hitting its best numbers since its premiere. “Grey’s Anatomy” (5.4/13) took a tumble week-to-week, down 9%. ABC stressed, however, that “Grey’s” could return to form once DVR numbers are factored in, considering the competition from the World Series.

“Life on Mars” (2.4/7) held steady. ABC took third with a 3.6/9.

The CW’s “Smallville” (1.7/4) and “Supernatural” (1.3/3) also held on from last week, with the network ending the night with a 1.5/4.

Despite leading the night as the most-watched program, Wednesday’s Game 1 of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies dropped significantly ratings-wise from last year’s kickoff.

Drawing a 4.8 rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, Game 1 was down 17% compared with last year’s World Series starter between the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research.

Share numbers were not available due to time zone-adjusted data.

In total viewers, Wednesday’s game drew 14.6 million, down 14% from last year.

The big hubbub, television-wise, surrounding this year’s game is the small markets the Rays and Phillies come from. Programming and ad execs had pinned their hopes on a Red Sox/Los Angeles Dodgers series, two nationally followed teams.

Regardless, the game dominated the night and gave Fox its best night of programming since the All-Star Game in July.

Fox averaged a 4.4 rating in prime time, placing first.

Rebounding from a low-rated clip show last week, The CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” (2.1/6) tied this cycle’s highest rating in adults 18-49. Last night also posted its largest audience of the cycle with 4.4 million.

“Stylista” (1.2/3) launched after “Model,” with a score 9% better than the premiere of “Crowned” last December.

“Stylista” did manage to match an original “Gossip Girl” that aired in the time slot one year ago in adults 18-49 and total viewers, with 2.5 million.

The CW placed fifth with a 1.6/4.

CBS’ “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (2.4/7, 8 million) and “Gary Unmarried” (2.5/7, 7.8 million) hit season highs.

“Criminal Minds” (4.0/10, 14.7 million) and “CSI: NY” (3.9/10, 14.2 million) declined 7% and 9%, respectively, from their last original episodes in adults 18-49.

CBS took second for the night with a 3.4/9 and 12.3 million viewers.

ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” (1.9/5) and “Dirty Sexy Money” (2.0/5) held steady from their last airings, while “Private Practice” increased 15% to a 3.0/7.

ABC finished the night in third with a 2.3/6.

NBC stumbled, as “Knight Rider” (2.1/6) and “Lipstick Jungle” (1.6/4) hit series lows. “Jungle” dipped 16% from its last airing, helping NBC chalk up its worst Wednesday performance since before the Olympics with a 1.9/5 average.

Fox’s “House” perked up last night in the ratings, scoring its highest numbers since its premiere a month ago, while a recap episode of “Dancing With the Stars” on ABC substantially improved the time period of the knocked-out “Opportunity Knocks.”

“House” drew a 5.5 rating/15 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data. “House,” up 4% from last week, combined with a flat “Fringe” (4.0/10) to win Tuesday with a nightly average of a 4.7/13.

On ABC, “Opportunity Knocks” has been yanked in favor of a “Dancing With the Stars” performance recap (2.0/6), which saw a 54% increase from what “Knocks” did last week.

The “Dancing” results show at 9 p.m. posted a 3.8/9, kissing singer Toni Braxton so long. The show increased 15% from last week.

“Eli Stone” held steady from its season premiere, pulling in a 2.2/6. However, the show probably will decline once final numbers are released, as “Dancing” overran by two minutes.

ABC finished fourth on the night with a 2.7/7.

Leading the night in total viewers with an average of 14.6 million, CBS took second in adults 18-49 with a 3.2/9.

“The Mentalist” (3.4/9, 15.3 million) and “Without a Trace” (2.6/7, 11.6 million) stayed essentially flat week-to-week.

“NCIS” declined 8% in adults 18-49 from last week to a 3.6/10, while drawing 17.1 million viewers.

“The Biggest Loser” (2.9/8) dropped 7%, while “Law & Order: SVU” slipped 5% week-to-week, leading NBC to a close third with a 3.1/8.

While “90210” on The CW ran a repeat, someone should have informed viewers of the original “Privileged” (0.7/2) that followed.

“Privileged” slipped 30% in the key demo of women 18-34 from its last original episode two weeks ago, down to a 1.4/4.

The CW placed fifth for the night with a 0.7/2 in adults 18-49.

Odds and Ends:

MyNet continues to show improvement with “Smackdown” sprucing up its schedule. Setting yet another viewership record on Friday in the network’s key male demos, “Magic’s Biggest Secrets Revealed” enjoyed a similar bump from its premiere. Conjuring 2 million viewers on Oct. 13, “Magic” improved 28% versus its premiere on Oct. 6.